Character actor Robert Middleton is entertaining in this well-produced if a little cliched pilot written by the team who would go on to create Columbo. The fat references sprinkled throughout the dialogue are funny for seeming a bit forced at times.

Wonder why the pilot didn't get taken up? This was way above the quality of any detective series; equal to specials like Playhouse 90.

There were a few dubious spots in the writing, like the overly literary harpsichord and Shakespeare stuff, and confusingly similar names for characters. (Martell, Lardelli, Caviolli, Marcel) But those couldn't have been cause to reject the whole thing.